Will Culbertson & Amy Kanyer

When Purdue University North Central students Will Culbertson, of Westville, and Amy Kanyer, of Michigan City, earn their degrees later this year, they will be ready to compete in the job market.

The Communication majors have spent the last four years attending classes, they pursued internships, earned academic honors, joined campus activities, been active off campus and they’ve taken advantage of every opportunity presented to them to network with professionals so they could find out as much as possible about their selected career fields.

Both of them feel they are ready to pursue their dreams.
Culbertson looks forward to a career in the front office of a professional sports team. Kanyer would love to work for the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

“Right now I’m trying to get my feet wet in the field,” said Kanyer. “I’m trying to establish some contacts.”

She had a remarkable learning experience with a Disney World internship. The once-in-a-lifetime experience gave her knowledge and understanding of one of the most well-respected businesses in the world.

Culbertson served an internship with the Gary SouthShore RailCats professional baseball team. He was fortunate to have the opportunity to work in all levels of the organization. He got to know how a sports franchise operates and played an integral role in the front office operation.

“Internships let you to take what you’ve learned in class and apply it in the real world,” said Culbertson. “I could not have duplicated that learning experience anywhere else. It was a tremendous opportunity.”

The pair also took part in the fall semester New Professional Night for Communication majors at PNC.

The New Professional Night brought bring together employers with students who are interested in internships or post-graduation careers. Different from the usual career fairs, the event placed employers and students in round-table conversations to discuss the employer’s hiring needs and allow students to ask questions, seek advice and gain valuable insights from professionals.

“It was a great opportunity to network,” said Culbertson. “We’re so close to graduation, it’s important to speak to potential employers and learn all that we can about the job market.”

Because students had the opportunity to chat back and forth with prospective employers, they came away with clear ideas of what employers look for in their employees and gave them ideas on how to make themselves more marketable.

“This was a good way to learn how to make myself stand out,” said Kanyer.

But neither Kanyer nor Culbertson has ever hesitated to network and to put themselves in a position to succeed. Both have worked hard to meet people in their professions, to talk to people and to mention their career interests. They also listen to and absorb every bit of information presented to them.

“I am not afraid to introduce myself,” said Culbertson. “I am willing to make calls, to send emails. I will do everything I need to do to get where I need to be to succeed.”

“You have to do whatever you can to create opportunities for yourself,” added Kanyer. “You have to tell everyone you interact with what you want to do.”

On campus, Kanyer and Culbertson take challenging classes to learn as much as they can in the time they’re at PNC.

“You get out of college what you put in to it,” believes Kanyer. “I have a chance to learn from the best professors in the field. PNC offers so many opportunities, you have to want it and go for it.”

She suggested that students plan ahead to ensure they are able to accomplish all that they want to in their time on campus.

Both are members of the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society and look forward to graduating in 2012.

“I’ve done well in school, I done well in my internships. I’m ambitious and will do what it takes to succeed. I am looking forward to graduating,” said Culbertson.